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‘It is still early days and doctors are advising any recovery is
likely to be a long process.’

Accident: The resort of Les Monts d'Olmes is popular with families because the slopes are relatively easy

Brook Hill (left) and brother Barney were on their first skiing holiday with their parents in France

Mr Hill said Brook, left, hasn't woken up yet but described him as 'a real fighter'

Brook, who attends the White House
School, in Whitchurch, Shropshire, was half-way through his first skiing
trip with his father, mother Rachael, 42, a nutritionist and health
writer, and brother Barney, 12.

Brook Hill, who plays for Whitchurch under 10s rugby team in Shropshire, has been inundated with messages of support

The
sports-mad youngster, who was player of the year at Whit-church
under-10s mini-rugby team last year, has been inundated with messages
from well-wishers, including his hero, the Welsh international rugby
full-back Leigh Halfpenny.

A popular pupil, his family and friends have been writing messages of support and jokes on a website which his parents are reading aloud to the schoolboy, who is in intensive care.

His uncle, Paul, of Tattenhall, Cheshire, added: ‘We are so grateful Brook was wearing a crash helmet.

‘In all honesty, we all ignorantly
believe that such accidents only happen to other people, and it’s a big
wake up call when it’s one of your own.

‘As
a family we really believe in the power of positive thinking and the
amount of people who tell us they are sending good vibes to Brook is
overwhelming.

‘Brook is very lucky to have such warmth around him.

‘It’s
very difficult to determine the damage to Brook’s brain while he is in
the coma, so we are willing him to wake up so we can figure out what the
next step is.

‘Listening to music and jokes will be a constant part of his routine until we have another development.’

Monts-d’Olmes is a small resort in the Ariege department, around one-and-a-half hours’ drive from Toulouse.

Its slopes are especially popular with families with young children, because all are relatively easy.

The resort was particularly busy on Sunday because it was the first weekend of half-term holidays in France, and other European countries.